I don’t want to believe it, but what I just witnessed . . .
This man isn’t the man who went to dinner with me. This man is different. He’s cold. His eyes don’t even look the same.
Yes, his eyes have always been dark, but this is something entirely different.
The pupils have overtaken. It’s like a light switch went off in him.
He stares at her, and she is visibly shaken now.
I’m not sure about what passes between them or what I missed before, but soon, she’s scurrying away.
We both stand there, momentarily quiet, before he turns his body, no longer facing in the direction in which she went, but now facing me.
His dark eyes focus on me. This time, they look different.
Although still darker than the night sky, now they connect with mine.
Before, they didn’t.
When Cain looked at me, even if it was only for a few seconds, it felt like he was looking right through me.
It takes him a beat before he moves. I watch him from where I’m standing, analyzing the way his chest rises and falls.
Eventually, his shoulders drop, and that’s when he pivots away from where he’s staring and meets my gaze.
The way he looks at me isn’t hostile. No. The man from moments ago is long gone. Like he’s shaken off the haze that had descended upon him. It’s odd how differently he looks at me. Which version is the real him?
“You ready?” His voice cuts through the air, and I find myself shaking my head. The man is giving me whiplash.
“Ready?” My eyebrow arches. Did we have plans to go somewhere? Mentally, I try to remember how we left off last night. Sure, we had a meeting time, but it’s not for another . . . I look down at the phone in my hand. Hour.
“Yes. For your tour. That is, unless . . .” He trails off, his gaze drifting to look in the direction of my watch. “Are you too busy?”
I have no idea what he’s even talking about. I have no plans. My only plan is to write this darn article. “No. Of course not.”
His brow lifts. “You sure?”
I place my hands on my hips, getting a little annoyed by this line of questioning. Can’t I just have easygoing Cain again? A smile. A smirk. Something to tell me I didn’t imagine the whole thing last night. Because even though he isn’t currently acting hostile to me, his prior behavior still lingers in the air, like a fire that was just put out, but the remnants of burned soot won’t go away. “Of course.” I decide to soften my voice. Maybe if he sees I’m not annoyed by what I witnessed, he will change, too. “You’re the only plans I have, obviously.”
“Good. I like it that way.” The line that is etched in his brow fades away. My plan worked.
“Well, then, that’s good ’cause I’m here to please.”
His lip tips up at that, and the moment the words leave my mouth and I realize what I said, I want to groan.
Instead, I cough. The reflex is welcome at this awkward moment. He continues to look at me, and I can’t read him. But I’m happy the angry architect has vacated the premises.
Now that I know what he’s capable of, I’m even more drawn to him. To the need to discover why he’s different with me.
“Where are we off to today?” My fingers begin to fiddle with the hem of my shirt. I have nervous energy coursing through me, and I need an outlet.
“I’m going to show you the heart of my city,” he says proudly.
“City?” That has me halting my movements and narrowing my eyes at him.
“Yes, this will essentially be a self-contained city, a paradise or a utopia, to be exact.”
“Interesting. Where did you come up with this idea?” I ask, taking a step closer.
He pivots his body, but I still have a perfect view of his face. He looks up at the sky as if he’s thinking or maybe remembering. “To be honest, I used to read a lot as a child, and one of the books I read inspired me.”
“What book was that?”
“Brave New World.” Cain walks back toward the path, the fallen leaves on the ground crunching beneath his feet.
My feet move faster, trying to catch up. “I’ve actually read it. A long time ago. I might be fuzzy on the details, but here I thought—and I could be wrong—isn’t it about the dangers of technology?”
“It is. But it also inspired me to do it the right way.” He looks over his shoulder and winks before he turns back and starts to walk again. “I’ll lend you a copy,” he says from a few steps ahead. His voice is muffled, but I still hear him. “You can tell me how I did.”